1982 Ford Escort Reviews

1982 Ford Escort EXP 1.6L Gas from North America

Summary:

The best car I have ever owned

Faults:

Water Pump

CV Shaft.

General Comments:

Well, I have to say I really like this car. It's the best 600 dollars I've ever spent! I bought this car from a friend of mine that I use to work with and he only paid 300 dollars or so for the car, and he only got rid of it because he had no room for it. The paint is a little faded with some rough spots, and the interior has no carpet making the cab a little noisy. The seats are far more comfortable than you might expect on an older car and are still in good shape. The car is not very fast, but the four banger is good on gas and its zippy enough for me. It handles surprisingly well. The parts are cheap, and easy to install, due to the fact that the power-train is all escort based. The EXP is basically a two seat Escort, or half an Escort! This car is very reliable and has never left me stranded anywhere. I give credit to the previous owner for that. I plan on keeping this car for awhile, as I have no payments and the heater works great.

1982 Ford Escort 1.6 from North America

Summary:

Faults:

General Comments:

Bought it for $2000 with 30K miles and ran it up to 90K with minimal repairs. It gave 25 mpg and was peppier than the Chevette that preceded it. So far, so good.

But - despite regular oil changes and maintenance, the engine head cracked at 91K miles.

And unlike other small cars, the Escort was never much fun to drive. The suspension was tuned for a soft ride, but it ended up feeling wobbly - it bottomed constantly and had lots of "bump steer" on rocky pavement. The power steering was numb, the unassisted brakes were weak, and the automatic shifted abruptly enough to raise passengers' eyebrows.

Being the base Escort - below even the "L" - its front seats didn't recline. The steering wheel was a thin plastic ring with no horn button (it was on the turn signal stalk), and the dash had no center vents.

All told, 60K miles of mostly trouble-free driving redeemed the Escort, even after it died prematurely. But it didn't make us want to go get another Ford.

10th Jul 2005, 12:22

I think it is totally outstanding that you have saved and loved an EXP since new. I owned a 1982 model from 1991 to 1994,and I miss that quirky little car! Other than normal wear items, the only trouble I had was needing a new alternator once in over 70,000 miles I put on the car. I think it'sad that the EXP is one of the most forgotten Fords of all time. Today's slammed import-tuner crowd has no idea of what a Ford EXP is. The best way I can describe one is that it was related to the Escort the same way the Karmann-Ghia was related to the Volkswagen Bug. The only complaint I ever did have about this car is that was a little under-powered. I don't care, I want another one now!

1982 Ford Escort GL 1.6 Liter 4 speed from North America

Summary:

Faults:

Clutch cable would mysteriously fall off the self adjusting pedal.

Heater core failure.

Dead at 75,000 miles.

General Comments:

A very good handling car and good traction in the snow.

The engine was weak. Harsh sounding, especially when pushed. The manual transmission growled like a junkyard dog. The all vinyl interior and simplistic dashboard made a Datsun 310 seem plush by comparison. Overall, the car had a high noise level making the stereo inaudible unless it was blasted to the point of distortion.

At $6,500, it was more expensive than other compacts of the day. Many of these early Escorts died in carburetor fires before they were recalled by Ford. Ours died of "Old Age", right after the payment book ended.